home alabama" will be here long after we're gone. >> what is it like to see the younger generation belting out "sweet home alabama" and pretty bird"? >> it's great. we're three generations, working on four. it's great for to us see older fans ones that under between and young all the way up. it's great, it's a great thing. >> when did you get involved helping out military families? what got you there? why did you start doing it?. >> well, anything we can feel like to help this, is our way. we never had to go overseas and fight on the front lines like everyone. so we're just trying to do our part anyway we can. so, entertain the troops and be behind them. and do benefits or whatever we can to help. you know? go see them in the hospitals. anything more we can ever do, we hope people ask. >> do you have any words for greta?

>> hello. >> good word. we love her, we watch her every night. >> i check it every night. >> yes. >> thank you guys. >> much appreciated. >> yes. >> love the shout out. see you tomorrow night 10:00 p.m. eastern, right here. . >> bill: the o'reilly factor is on. tonight. >> america's possibilities are limitless. >> inauguration day 2013. and the president's speech was more combative than some expected. we must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of healthcare and the size of our deficit. we reject that america must choose between caring for the generation who built this country and investing in the generation who will build its future. >> president obama's speech was very short on specifics. again, speaking about america's problems in general terms. >> now, more than ever, we must do these things together.

as one nation and one people. >> tonight, the factor will analyze inauguration day with brit hume, bob woodward. john meacham, bernie goldberg, juan williams and mary katharine ham. caution, you where to enter the no spin zone. the factor begins right now. hi i'm bill o'reilly. thanks for watching us tonight. inauguration address number 57. that is the subject of this evening's talking points memo. first inaugural address given on april 30th, 1879 by george washington. not to the folks. washington spoke directly to congress. he appealed to the new leaders to be moral and just and he invoked god and heaven saying,

quote: smiles of heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which heaven itself has ordained. unquote. george washington appealing for justice. fast forward to 2013, president obama made a similar appeal. rather than focusing on america's vexing problems like an exploding debt and a weak economy, mr. obama put forth that the nation's top priority must be imposing social justice. >> we must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of healthcare and the size of our deficit. but we reject the belief that america must choose between caring for the generation who built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future. [ applause ] for we remember the lessons of our past when twilight years

were spent in poverty. parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn. we do not believe that in this country freedom is reserved for the lucky. talking points disagrees with president obama's priority. although. impossible to do what the president wants to do. in short, prosperity. can't be done no matter how much money you spend. much more effective is building a strong society based upon a robust free market and effective, effective social programs. that provide opportunity rather than charity. as the president should know by now. the federal government cannot provide for 320 million people. and the dangerous p danger is is that mr. obama's persistent attempts to do that to redistribute prosperity will bankrupt the nation, causing

pain to everyone and making it impossible for poorly educated or kiss advantaged whom he sighted to make a living. the president's address was not an urgent call to reform entitlements, provide oversight on economic abuse or even stimulate the economy. none of that was on display. so it is quite clear that the president is willing to go down in history as a crusader for social justice no matter what happens to the economic fabric of the country. he does not want to cut government spending. he does not want to reform entitlements that are now directly threatening the american treasury. unless there is a radical change in the president's thinking, few problems will be solved over the next four years. we'll simply get more of the same. and that's the memo. now for the top story tonight.

we begin our coverage of the inauguration by going down to washington and bringing in fox news senior political analyst brit hume. so where am i going wrong here, hume? >> i think you are actually right about his focus social justice. this is something that's very important to him. it's very important to his party. it's something where his party has championed what president believes great causes in the past. particularly the one for which the man was honored today dr. martin luther king was so famous and civil rights. in fact civil rights for gays was a centerpiece of the president wants speech today. he said more about it than any president in a presidential address. while is he preoccupied with social justice that's in part because these other issues that you spoke about, invog gore rating the economy which has had such anemic recovery and dealing with the burgeoning deficits and exploding national debt are issues that don't particularly interest him. i'm not sure that the economy ever has.

you may recall when he first took office he got through congress this stimulus package which was kind of a grab bag of spending of all kinds favored by members of his party in congress and then he basically abandoned the issue to take on something that i think appealed to him much more, that being the reform of the healthcare system. known as obama care which was adding another entitlement. >> >> bill: let me stop you there you would agree with me that president obama is a i have intelligent man, correct? >> he yes, very much so. he has to know the track is he on is going to cause irreparable harm to the nation. the report on friday buried by the press. we predicted that it would be. i led with it friday. we predicted the general accounting office report would be buried by the media and indeed it was. not even mentioned on cnn. he has to know the president in his inaugural today motion

rather than getting the mechanics in a country in place where everybody can prosper. he has to know road to disaster he doesn't care. difference being smart and wise. i'm not at all sure he is ride. >> can he read the gao report? can he read? >> he can. but i think his view of that is basically goes something like this: and i can't read hits mind. my sense is he believes that the economy is recovering that the recovery will in time gain steam because recovery already has. with that will come a gush everywhere of tax receipts which will help of offset deficits and reduce the need to borrow so much money that in time these things will take care of themselves and moreover -- >> >> bill: wait, clearly the report says to him because he is the leader of the nation you must cut and reform entitlements, u. must do it. no matter what happens with the economy and no matter what happens with the tax receipts, you have to do that bus it's

unsustainable that the country can continue to spend as much money as it's spending on these entitle wants, medicare social security, social fabric, all of that he knows that. i'm saying in my heart he is rolling the dice with the future of every single american. every one. because of his, i guess, place in history would it be. he wants to be with dr. king on the mountaintop. but he is rolling the dice because he has got to know the danger is he walking into. bill, you have a point. i would say that the way that people like this president look at this problem that has to do with spending and debt is that we have a short-term problem and a long-term crisis. the short-term problem is that we are building up massive amounts of debt that will be difficult for our children and grandchildren to pay back. however, the effect of that is not going to hit us for some time. borrowing money extremely cheap rates and it's helping to give the economy some

boyian is i and it is a right course to follow. and that continuing on that course is worth it as long as it's -- there is some time left. we have time to deal with the long-term problem which i'm sure he would acknowledge to you if he were sitting here with us is very severe. to him that's long-term and these other matters of which we have spoken are more important to him now. >> he is wrong. this thing is coming like a tsunami and i'm telling you, he better get a handle on it he better. next on the run down, bob woodward, certainly a presidential expert will weigh in. bernie goldberg on the continued press infatuation with the president. we're come right back.

>> bill: continuing with our inauguration coverage go back to washington bring in bob woodward associated editor of the "the washington post." the author of the book: the price of politics. so, you think i'm wrong in saying that president obama is going to continue his big spending agenda in order to redistribute income no matter what the price the country pays? >> well, i think you hit on the right theme. social justice, he calls it equality. the question is how do you get there? and i think he knows in his head that you get there by mobilizing the economy, getting the engine going. if you think about it, the greatest social injustice is not being able to get a job. you have to get that unemployment number down. what i really think there was somewhat of a lost opportunity here. if he had given healing speech. supposed he had turned around, which would have been extraordinary speaker boehner, the republican leader of the house and said we're going to

work together on these things we're going to fix my agenda and your agenda and of course boehner's agenda is we have to cut spending and ivan obama's economists tell him that. so, they missed this opportunity. also, i remember catherine gram the publisher of the post used to always say it's very difficult to not like somebody who says they like you. you have talked to republicans and democrats here and they have the feeling. i'm not sure it's correct. but they feel obama doesn't like them. >> bill: he doesn't like them. [ laughter ] that's pretty clear that he doesn't like them because he doesn't feel -- he feels they are the purveyors of white privilege, bob. he is never going to say that but that's the theme that runs through his advisors. the white privileged has to be

broken down. >> i think he just doesn't agree with republicans on their agenda. he is hurting his own cause. >> bill: think about what i just said. the republican agenda in his mind, the president's mind props up white privilege. therefore, as the social justice champion, he has to tear that down. he doesn't like the white privilege thing and he doesn't like the republicans trying to defend it. and that's the seed. now, i want to ask you a question. >> okay. but i'm going to disagree. >> wood wards disagrees. >> it's a broader disagreement with the republican agenda. he hammered hard in the campaign. and he won tax increases for the top 1%. that's a big deal to him. >> okay. 1985 ronald reagan comes up. he says exactly the opposite. exactly the opposite of barack

obama reagan says the government's the problem. we ought to get the government out of the way and unleash the american people who will return the nation to prosperity. reagan very popular president among americans remains so. personally, personally barack obama very popular. i think his personal rate is around 59%. job approval 52. how can this country in the space of, what, almost 30 years, change so dramatically in our philosophy? >> well, first of all, obama today did say that it's a fiction to believe that government alone can solve all of the problems. so he is taking somewhat of a middle course now. if you look at that speech, i mean, it's an odd speech he just threw out things. there is kind of no coherent plan and, again, i think the

missed opportunity was to say to the american public and the world, look, this is where i'm going. this is what matters. one, two, three. these are the things i'm going to do. and there was a scatter shot approach. and i think a lot of the speech was unnecessarily vague. >> you didn't answer my question. i know it's a little bit of an esoteric nation. how county nation change in less than 30 years where we are rornld reagan becomes icon into what we have now which is 1 will 0 degrees opposite? what changed? >> i think part of this and looking at presidents you realize that their personal appeal and popularity is often what people vote on. and that happened to reagan and obama as you point out is personally popular. i think this 19 manipulate speech, quite frankly, quickly

forgotten. old john mitchell who is the attorney general for nixon who said quite rightly don't watch what we say, watch what we do. we have to see what obama is really going to do. and, of course, what the republicans are doing. i think the other thing if i can dwell on it for a moment, he didn't talk about the world. >> no. the world is a very dangerous place and there are a lot of dangerous things going on. he may have -- he skipped it. >> state of the union anyway. but you are right. he could have rallied. he didn't really rally tonight. everybody is just as hard as they were just when they got up this morning. a pleasure. presidential historian john meacham authors new presidential book. he will be here. frenzy over president obama's president obama's tenure continues. those reports after these messages. >> announcer: meet jill.

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personal story segment tonight, how does president obama rank among american presidents. author of the best selling book thomas jefferson the art of power john meacham. i want to get to the woodward question that he didn't really answer. reagan, obama, less than 30 years, what's happened in america? >> i think, you know, f.d.r. once said that great presidents become great because they come to power at a moment when ideas in the life of the nation require clarification. and they offer that clarification. ronald reagan's rise was an answer to the excesses of the new deal and the great society. he has a man who brought the conversation from the first point being what can the state

do to being what the market can do? i think what's happened in the last 30 years and what's happening right now is that we know in our hearts that the choices we face that you just alluded to, the gao report, the expensive healthcare. the expense of the entitlements, the idea that so much of our future is mortgaged and only growing higher is a tough choice. and we're not apparently ready as a people and certainly not as an administration, and the obama administration to make those hard choices. i think we are threading water in the united states. and i think president obama is in some ways a figure of a threading water are a. >> bill: treading water because i'm an old lifeguard and diver. you are going further out to sea. you are not staying where you are treading the water and you are not going to be able to when you want to it swim into shore. you are so far offshore it's going to be almost impossible

to get back. i submitted to brit hume that the president understands that if he can read or maybe he just ignores the gao report like he ignored his own debt commission. maybe he does that. maybe he is locked in an ideological jar that he just says, you know what? i don't give a fig. i'm going to do. this tough, i don't care about the consequences. maybe. if he is a man, genuinely, genuinely concerned about his country, got to see the urgency of this. yet, he does not address it. you she, -- you know, doesn't. president reagan he too was a lifeguard. he saved 77 lives on the rock river in illinois and always saw himself in hero i can role. he was able to swim out and save people. what we haven't seen with president obama yet is whether he is able to save us in that metaphor but to lead us, to make us make these hard choices. and, it just has not happened.

i worry all the time if we do not find a growth agenda in the country to secure the middle class, which is one of the great economic and cultural achievements in history, building the post war middle class where we guarantee equality of opportunity. not equality of outcome. but equality of opportunity, that's the burden to me, the burden and the great possibility of american leadership. my own view is that the president does not know how to lead us to that place. >> bill: okay. but you know what the irony of it is. with all the social justice and all the enormous spending and all of his martin luther king type rhetoric, the middle class is a lot worse off now than it was when he came in. and there is no real hope for the middle class as their wages go down because of the employment. you know, there are more workers than jobs. that drives wages down. and you know who is prospering now? you know, john, the fat cats. the stock market is doing

well. all right? it's going up because the corporations have pared back so much that their profits are rising and the fat cats are making more money even though is he going to take more of it. it will outpace it while the working men and women are worse off they will be worse off still when obama care kicks. in that's going to cost the workers more than he says it is. >> the most important line not in the speech. most important graph is the fall in median household income over the last 12 years. >> bill: that's right. this will be unmemorable presidency and potentially a significantly how is he going to remedy that turn that around so that the regular folks make more money? it seems to me almost

inconceivable people don't want to hear the truth. they don't want to pay more taxes. they don't want to make the cuss. they don't want to embrace the simpson bowls proposals. these are hard choices. guess what? you and i didn't run for president. he sought the job. i think is he a good man and i think you agree with that it's his responsibility to lead us. my sense is the problem at at te moment. he is allowing the addition function in the cab toll, which is there and the public's reluctance to make hard choices to lead him. >> you are overlooking one more thing if you write next book on barack obama. >> only one thing. >> bill: i think he is

stubborn. he is personal. he's stubborn and he's going to do it his way. mr. meacham, thank you. we have live coverage as the president and first lady will do first dance. that's four years ago. we will show you what happens tonight. and then we will not allow bernie goldberg to cut in on that dance. it's not going to happen. but, goldberg will be here and we hope you stay tuned to those reports.

>> bill: weekdays with bernie tonight. as expected the national media having a great time today marking the second inauguration of their guy, president obama. the online magazine "newsweek" has presented this to its readers, the second coming. not exactly sure about the first coming here. i don't know what they are referring to. i hope not comparing the president to jesus. i hope not. with us now here in new york purveyor of bernard goldberg.com n. mr. goldberg. and you say. >> what do you think they mean when they mean the second coming? literally the second term in office. the term second coming has certain connotations religious connotations. this is the magazine by the way few months ago last spring ran a cover of barack obama with a halo around his head and this is the same magazine where the guy who wrote the cover story evan thomas referred to president obama as a kind of god. this isn't journalism, bill, this is idolatry.

>> bill: i didn't read the story. i'm sorry i didn't get to it today. i should have read it. did you read it? >> i didn't read the whole story. i saw the cover and i thought is this a parody. as a matter of fact while i'm saying parody in 2009, national review, the conservative magazine ran a parody, okay? this is it? >> they ran a parody. >> bill: the second coming? >> the cover of "newsweek." it says -- it has a smiling picture of barack obama, and it says better than fdr, cooler than jfk. there it is. the one on the left, everybody is a parody, better than fdr, cooler than jfk. the one on the right is the real cover. tell me which is the goofier cover? >> bill: i don't have a beef. don't know what's in the article because "newsweek" doesn't publish anymore. they are online. the covers obviously are defying some extent? >> yes. i'm saying they have tried many in the mainstream media

for four years have tried to turn barack obama into a messiah, and those of us who said that have been either dismissed or laughed off or what whatever. here it is the messiah, the second coming. >> bill: i get letters that say listen, you and goldberg are wasting your time because we, the letter writers and maybe viewers of the factor we know the media is in the tank for barack obama. why do we have to hear about it every week? that's a decent point. we have proved yard that the network news, most of the urban newspapers. the wire services, and two out of the three cables are all avid supporters of president. which means a lot but we have proven the point. >> why is it important? i will tell you why it's important. despite the criticism that i have made in books and on this program of the mainstream media, a free country needs a strong mainstream media we need a strong mainstream media. and you can't just let this stuff go by and this is

only -- this, the second coming, is only the most recent goofy example. but all the other stuff that they do can't have a free country without a free press. you can't have a fair country without a fair press. that's why it's important to hold them accountable. i don't know with the internet there is a lot of people now just putting out whatever they want whether the mainstream medias is as important as it once was. >> no, it isn't. >> bill: right. it's declined in influence. while they decline in influence and profitability. they become more ideological. some for economic reasons some because that's who they are. we are not going to make any money anyway we might as well roll the dice and become left wing people. what troubles me is that bernie and me are not idealogues. i am not. >> i'm not, i don't think you are. no when a report from the gao comes out on friday and nobody

picks it up except us, stheation a little bit of exaggeration but you didn't hear about it unless you watch this program, that's vitally important. >> that's precisely my point. >> bill: right. they are just going to ignore it because it makes their guy look bad. >> yeah. and if there is a rule of thumb. you just said it, it's true in journal and in life in general if you like somebody you will react to somebody one way and if you don't like them you will react to them in another way. the fact that the media have fallen in love, the adoration for barack obama. >> bill: they love him. there is no doubt about it. the danger about that what's wrong about that is that they won't tell you how bad the economy is when george bush dropped a few drones on terrorists they were outraged. when barack obama dropped more drones on them. not nearly the outrage. >> bill: they don't say anything. >> when george bush instituted

the patriot act. outrage. when barack obama reups the patriot act not a peep. >> bill: it's so bizarre that we are living in a country that's supposed to have an aggressive media media is skeptical. that's how i was taught. that's how you were taught, i think when we were cubs. and now it's basically the college journalism schools are -- have obama's picture up there can lit candles around it. what are they supposed to do, you know? >> and the reason they do is because surveys have shown this. there have been studies on this. the professors in journalism schools. >> bill: off the charst -- the chart left. it doesn't bode well for the freedom of press. >> it's not going to get better before it gets a lot worse. >> bill: bernie goldberg, everybody, there he is factor moves along this evening. the president and the first lady expect at any time to do the inaugural dance. of course, we will show that to you. also, hovering around, juan williams and mary katharine

ham. so we are going to bring them in and chat about some things as the president and first lady are warming up in the bullpen. okay? we'll be right back.

>> thanks for staying with us, i'm bill o'reilly, continuing now with our inauguration coverage. joining us from washington juan williams. here in the studio, rare appearance in new york city

mary katharine ham. what are you doing here? >> you know, the great things about americans they don't need me for the transition of power. can i hang out with you. >> were you offended by the festivities in washington? did you flee? >> i didn't flee i had a nice weekend. >> bill: you are up here in new york. did you see anything in the inauguration today. special, interesting, worthwhile. you fill in the adjective. aretha franklin's hat giant bow. there wasn't a hat like that. speech was all right. it hasn't gotten great reviews. part of it were pretty as they always are marked marketedly more liberal than he sounded last time around. he has been very good when he runs for office couching things in a centrist way. sounding very mainstream. there is less need for that now. i was not a huge fan of the sort of sounded like a dismissal of individual

achievement. juan i'm sure will disagree with me. allegedly secure freedom. i think it was meacham. could have been woodward. forget about speech in 10 minutes. chinese food didn't know what you have had. msg in it but you didn't know what it was. do you think -- i already forgot about the speech. i know he is saying that he just wants to continue big government policies but it didn't really have a lot of holding power. am i wrong? >> bay people. >> remind everybody that he he said that gay people should have freedom to or equal rights or something? >> oh, yeah. that's unprecedented. the president of the united states standing there in inaugural address and says that outloud. >> bill: it was just that gay

people should have rights too? >> let's go on. this is the part of the speech that i think is what mary katharine might call poetic when he was talking about our journey. today there was intersection of history. you have martin luther king jr. holiday the second inauguration of the first black president of the united states. and here he he is talking about our journey as an american people and he talks about not only gays, bill, but he talks about. >> bill: it was just one line for the gays today. it wasn't more than one. >> explicit mention was important. >> bill: john quincy adams said gay but he meant happy. >> yeah. you were there for that one. i missed that one. >> bill: i was there for that one, juan. is that right? >> yeah, yeah. yeah. you know what? do you know how old i am, bill? i was there in 8 a when ronald reagan couldn't have it outside so cold. >> i want to get to this later. >> i tease you with love. >> i want to get to this later

about reagan. the president and first lady about a minute away. so they are going to dance the traditional who plays -- do you know anything about the music here? >> i think. >> it's not going to be house music is it. >> i think it's a surprise. last time around it was we on say james singing etta james. >> jennifer hudson. >> is she going to be there, jennifer? she is a belter, i don't know. may have to move a little quick if jennifer is going to do it. >> she is great. >> bill: what? >> i think she is great by the way. let me just say when he spoke about the idea that absolutism should be considered principle that he said you can't think that somehow real debate is this talk radio type of attitude i think that speaks to something about the extreme polarization of our time. i think people will remember this. >> i will will agree with you. >> i don't think if he was real wise to bring that up.

first inaugural dress do remember. he promised to bring everybody together in the country. didn't quite get there because we are way further apart than we were four years ago. >> i also think he is frequently guilty mischaracterizing. >> bill: hasn't been a culture warrior as far as niceness is concerned. didn't carry through on it. he hasn't been. juan, i believe is he very cool on the symbolism. that can be very important and was very meaningful today. specifics mounting debt and actual entitlement problems that we have. i was less impressed and expected. >> wait for the state of the union. this speech was supposed to be inspiring. supposed to speak to the commonality. >> bill: were you inspired? did you go out and do a few laps around lafayette park.

>> not for me at this stage. >> oh, come on. >> when he spoke about our journey, i think that is inspiring. you look over the years. when he talks about what happened in terms of the woman's movement. seneca falls. when he talks about selma and the civil rights movement. when he talks about stonewall and the gay rights movement. lots of people would say this is the path of american history and he on the right side of history. i think mary katharine needs to wait for the state of the union and we can get back to the name-calling. >> i have waited for four years. >> bill: there was a something said earlier juan, and it -- missed an opportunity to kind of embrace the opposition say, look, come along with me on quote, unquote the journey that juan is so behind up about. go on the journey together. kind of like follow the yellow bring road. all go dancing down together. >> i agree. here is the point i wanted to make earlier in response to mary katharine. from the left, a lot of people think obama is pretty milk toast. he is not a guy that has gone

hard, gob -- gone big, gone bold. he has against himself. no public option in the healthcare. make a deal. have trillions of cuts and still be called someone who doesn't care about budget cuts. >> bill: here they go. >> bill: okay. let's go live coverage to the inauguration. take it away. ♪ ♪ ♪ let me begin by just saying y'all dressed up pretty nice. [cheers] hope everybody is having a wonderful time. now, those of you who are in uniform, you look outstanding, your dates do look better though.

i just want to point this out. i'm not going to give a long speech. what i really want to do is come down and express the extraordinary gratitude, not just of me, as your commander and chief, but more importantly the thanks of all the american people. i want to start by thanking some of our outstanding leaders who are here. other hosts, our senior enlisted advisors from all five branches of our military. [ applause ] the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff general martin dempsey who promised to sing some time tonight. you should hold him to it. the vice chairman sandy win it's afield and -- win afield.

our a second of veterans affairs and vietnam veteran rick senshekyy who is here and we are honored to be joined by some truly extraordinary americans. our wounded warriors who inspire us with their incredible strength and resolve. [cheers and applause] you are enlisted men and women and officers who are the backbone of our military. our amazing military families. [cheers and applause] our gold star families we will stand with you always. the members of the legendary tuskegee airmen in the house

and the recipients of our nation's highest military declaration. the medal of honor. we are honored by your presence. today we experienced we experienced the majesty of our democracy. a ritual only possible in a form of government that is of and by and for the people. a day made possible because there are patriots like each and every one of you who defend our freedom every single day. so, this little party is just another way to say something we can never say enough. thank you. thank you for volunteering. thank you for stepping up. thank you for keeping us strong. thank you for always making us proud.

i have no greater honor than being your commander and chief. [cheers and applause] it's because of you that with honor we were able to end the war in iraq. because of you that we delivered justice to usama bin laden. [cheers and applause] because of you even possible to give afghans the chance to determine their own destiny. we are going forward and we will keep our military the finest fighting force that the world has ever known tonight we are also joined by some of our service members in afghanistan. they can't see us but we can see them on this monitor. who have we got there, general? are you there? abe?

>> sir, good evening, mr. president. congratulations on your inauguration. it is major general abrams third infantry division and regional command south. we are honored to be able to join you there this evening. sir, i am joined tonight by some fantastic airmen and commission officers serving here in kandahar. [cheers] >> congratulations, mr. president. first class orlando jackson louisiana third infantry division. brigade. i want to congratulate you on a job well done. mr. president. superintendent, 807th expeditionary squadron hagel from detroit, michigan. i want to say go tigers. good evening, mr. president. sergeant first class david

wood i'm out of monument, colorado third infantry division. brigade task force light horse. thank you very much for having us here at your party. congratulations. good evening, mr. president. i'm the operations superintendent to 807 expeditionary squadron and the world's greatest air force. say congratulations tonight. you all have a blessed evening. got one thing for all of you there. >> rocking the board. well, listen, to all of you who are there, we know it's tough being away from your families. we know the incredible sacrifices and challenges that you meet every single day, but i can tell you that you have got a room full of patriots

here. [cheers] and although i have got to admit that there are a little spiffied up right now, their heart and soul their dedication, their sense of duty is at one with every single one of the folks in kandahar right now. i want you to know that when i was standing on the steps of the capitol today looking out at close to a million people. the single biggest cheer that i always get and today was no different at my inauguration was when i spoke about the extraordinary men and women in uniform to preserve our freedom and keep our country strong. [cheers and applause]

make sure that' you have got the equipment, the strategy, the mission keep our country safe and know we are going to be looking after and thinking about your families ever single day because when you get back home, you are going to be greeted by a grateful nation and you will be on our minds tonight and every single night until our mission in afghanistan in completed. can everybody please give our comrades in arms a huge round of applause. [cheers and applause] please all of you give our very best to your families back home because i know it's just as tough if not tougher for them to see you in harm's

way and away from the family. god bless you. god bless the united states of america. thank you. [cheers and applause] now, there is one last thing i have got to do. i have got a date with me here. [cheers and applause] shy inspires me every day. makes me a better man and a better president. the fact that she is so devoted to taking care of our troops and our military families is just one more sign of her extraordinary love and grace and strength i'm just lucky to have her. i said today at the lunch over in the congress that some may dispute the quality of our

president but nobody disputes the quality of our first lady. ladies and gentlemen, my better half, and my dance partner, michelle obama. [cheers and applause] and now please welcome academy and grammy award winner jennifer hudson. ♪ i'm loving you ♪ whether times are good or bad ♪ happy or sad ♪